The feud between Charles and the Middletons over Prince George, Louis, and Princess Charlotte

In any family, the grandchildren are often centre of everyone’s attention. They’re cute, loveable, and everyone wants a piece of them.

And the royal family are apparently no exception to this – with adorable Prince George and Princess Charlotte around, how could they be? But it seems the youngest members of the Windsor family are unknowingly causing tension between the two sides of the family…

Reports are constantly surfacing about the Charles vs. the Middleton’s feud – namely, the fact that Carole and Michael Middleton get to see their beloved grandchildren all the time, where Charles believes he hardly ever does. It’s a tension that, according to reports, has been ongoing ever since George was born, and is generally put down to Catherine and William’s natural gravitation towards the Middletons.

Apparently, Prince Charles is unhappy about how often he gets to see his grandchildren, especially given the fact that the Middleton grandparents reportedly see them practically all the time. According to the Daily Mail, the young Prince and Princess are regular visitors to the Middleton’s £4.7million Bucklebury mansion, which isn’t surprising, given its close proximity to their primary home, Anmer Hall.

But, conversely, according to a royal insider, Prince Charles hasn’t seen Princess Charlotte anywhere near as much as he might have liked since she was born in May 2015, and is rarely given the opportunity to spend time with her and George.

Reportedly, this is in part down to Charles’ role as the future King of England – which, let’s face it, is no small task. Charles takes on a huge percentage of the royal family’s engagements – almost 600 of them a year. This, undoubtedly, leaves a bit less time for family visits.

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But this is apparently made even worse given the conflicting schedules of the Cambridge’s and Prince Charles. According to insiders, Charles’ diary is organised months and months in advance, whereas the Cambridge’s official duties are reportedly notoriously disorganised, and are sometimes planned at the last minute. This conflict obviously means that, if last-minute childcare is needed, or spontaneous family plans are made Charles is unlikely to be able to drop his commitments to help or attend.

By contrast, the Middleton’s have the luxury of being able to help almost all of the time. A source told the Daily Mail, “This couldn’t be more different from the access enjoyed by the Middletons, who, as one who knows them well says, are ‘virtually part-time nannies’ to the children. I understand that after Charlotte’s birth, the Middletons were encouraged to pop in to see her whenever they liked.”

In particular, it’s said that the couple are far more likely to leave their children with Carole and Michael, rather than Charles and Camilla, when they head off on an official tour abroad for example. And, if reports are true, then the Middleton’s are given the chance to play a far more active role in the lives of George and Charlotte, helping to organise birthday parties and day trips – something Charles is apparently never consulted on.

A source close to the family said, “‘Let’s just say they (Catherine and William) haven’t really done anything to make it easy for him. Charles does the best he can, but there are constraints.'”

“It’s a shame as the Prince is far better with children than people might realise and clearly adores Charlotte (he and Diana longed for a daughter when they were married) and her brother. Both have handmade wooden swings at Anmer, carved with their names, courtesy of their grandpapa.”

But reportedly, Charles understands the problems that come with being the heir to the throne, and how that can affect family time. A source told the Daily Mail, “he acknowledges that he is in a unique position which means that his time is often not his own”.